Liquid Biopsy May Help Doctors Track Changes in Tumors

POST DATE: 5:26 pm

“If we saw a mutation in the plasma, that meant it was in the tumor,” said Mack, who was to present the findings this weekend at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, in Chicago.

SATURDAY, June 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Biopsies can be arduous and painful for cancer patients, but necessary to accurately diagnose the disease and determine the best course of treatment.

Now, researchers report that a new blood-based “liquid biopsy” could be a groundbreaking alternative.

Doctors used blood drawn from a patient’s arm to analyze DNA that tumors typically shed into the bloodstream, explained lead researcher Philip Mack. He is director of molecular pharmacology at the University of California, Davis, Comprehensive Cancer Center.